JERUSALEM – A wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the bitterly contested holy site that helped trigger the Palestinian uprising, is in danger of collapse, the city’s mayor and archaeologists warned yesterday.

They said Arab digging to enlarge the Al Aqsa Mosque had created a potentially unstable 35-foot bulge in the Mount’s southern wall.

But Muslim officials said there has been no change in the wall’s stability for decades – and they suspect the Israelis are trying to increase their authority over the area.

The issue is potentially explosive.

A bitter disagreement over the future of Temple Mount – from which Muslims believe Mohammed ascended to heaven and whose Western Wall is Judaism’s holiest site – helped kill the last major Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 2000.

The Palestinian uprising, now in its 23rd month, began after Ariel Sharon, now Israel’s prime minister, visited the Mount in September 2000.

Archaeologist Eilat Marzar told Israel Radio yesterday, “The wall will collapse. The central issue is whether it will collapse on thousands of worshippers or if it will happen in a controlled manner.”